(Peru, Neb.) After a year and a half of construction and $6.5 million, Peru State College’s (PSC) Al Wheeler Activity Center will be rededicated next Tuesday, Sept. 16, during a community-wide celebration.

The evening’s festivities will begin with a brief ceremony in the new gymnasium at 4:30 p.m. where PSC President Stan Carpenter, Nebraska State College System Board of Trustees Chairman Bill Roskens and Clemson University Adjunct Professor Al Wheeler Jr. will make brief remarks. Tours of the facility will be available following the ceremony and throughout the evening.

From 5-7:00 p.m., the college will host a free community barbeque on the green near the Student Center, during which time the PSC Jazz Band will provide entertainment. At 7:00 p.m. the Bobcat women’s volleyball team will take on Bellevue University in the Wheeler Center. Admission to that event is also free.

Carpenter said, “The rededication of the Wheeler Center is an opportunity for us to thank our neighbors for their unwavering support of this institution and our student athletes. We especially want to acknowledge and thank several area high schools for accommodating our coaches and athletes with practice and game facilities throughout the last year, including Auburn High School, Johnson-Brock High School and Southeast Consolidated High School.”

Construction on the Wheeler Center began shortly after graduation in May 2007. The new facility now houses athletic department offices, a student heath center, training facilities, new locker rooms, a new competitive wood court, HVAC (heat, ventilation and air conditioning) system, elevator and more accessible entrances. Additionally, new bleachers now offer seating for more than 2,000 people. The project was funded, in part, by LB 605, LB 1110 and private contributions.

Carpenter said, “As one of the largest venues in the area, we hope the Wheeler Center will be utilized in the future by people and organizations from the surrounding communities for everything from athletic camps to book fairs to graduation ceremonies. I encourage everyone to join us in celebrating the completion of our fantastic new facility on Sept. 16.”